Prospect Talent Score

Probability of Success

History

2009-10: Eetu Laurikainen made his debut at the U20 level in Finland during the relegation playoffs, posting a 3.09 goals against and .867 save percentage in four games for JyP Jyvaskyla. He played four games for the JyP U18 Division 1 team and played one game for the JyP City (second) team.

2010-11: Laurikainen appeared in six regular season games and two playoff contests with the JyP Jyvaskyla U20 team as a backup to Edmonton 2011 3rd-round selection Samu Perhonen. He shared the goaltending duties for the JyP U18 team with Antti Lehtonen. Laurikainen had a 3.24 goals against and .913 save percentage during the regular season and a 1.00 goals against and .960 save percentage in the playoffs for the JyP U 20 team that captured an A juniors championship. In 11 regular season games for the JyP U18 team Laurikainen had a 4.04 goals against and .898 save percentage.

2011-12: Laurikainen made his pro hockey debut in Finland — playing six games with JyP-Akatemia in Mestis — and handled the bulk of the goaltending for the JyP Jyvaskyla U20 team. He had a 3.13 goals against and .919 save percentage in six Mestis games and had a 3.15 goals against and .915 save percentage with 1 shutout in 26 games for the JyP U20 team. Laurikainen was selected by Swift Current in the first round (20th overall) in the 2012 CHL Import Draft.

2012-13: Laurikainen played in 60 of 72 regular season games for Swift Current in his first season in North America. He was 30-23-6 with 1 shutout and had a 2.40 goals against and .922 save percentage. The Broncos finished third in the East Division, falling to the Calgary Hitmen in a first-round playoff series. Laurikainen was 1-4 with a 2.89 goals against and .906 save percentage in five playoff games.

2013-14: Laurikainen returned to Swift Current for an overage season — appearing in 54 regular season games with the Broncos in his second WHL season. He was 25-20-6 with 4 shutouts and had a 2.90 goals against and .914 save percentage during the regular season. The Broncos finished second to Regina in the East Division and lost to Medicine Hat in a first-round playoff series. Laurikainen was 2-4 in six playoff games and had a 2.17 goals against and .941 save percentage.

2014-15: Laurikainen appeared in 37 games for Espoo Blues as a rookie in Finland’s Liiga. He was 17-10-9 with 4 shutouts and had a 2.10 goals against and .933 save percentage. Espoo finished fifth in the regular season and was swept by JyP Jyvaskyla in the playoff quarterfinals. Laurikainen started all four playoff games and had a 3.32 goals against and .896 save percentage. He signed a two-year entry-level contract with Edmonton in May 2015.

Talent Analysis

Laurikainen is a durable, hard-working goaltender who has handled heavy workloads — both in the WHL and in Finland. Not as tall (6'0") as some of the younger goaltending prospects he uses his positioning and angle play to prevent scoring chances. He has a sound technical game and competes against second and third opportunities.

Future

Laurikainen attended his first training camp with the Oilers, beginning the 2015-16 season with AHL affiliate Bakersfield. Loaned to HPK Hameenlina in Finland in November, he returned to the Condors when Ben Scrivens was traded to Montreal. In the first year of a two-year contract, he is a depth goalie in the Oilers system at this point but could push for the backup role in Edmonton in the future. As with most 23-year-old goalies his ceiling in terms of potential is uncertain.

Photo: Edmonton Oilers prospect William Lagesson is a Frölunda product and UMass freshman who has shown intriguing amounts of offense in his young career (courtesy of Matthew J. Lee/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

The Edmonton Oilers’ NCAA and European prospect pool is not a large one, made even smaller by Finnish goaltender Eetu Laurikainen joining the Bakersfield Condors in 2015-16 and Bogdan Yakimov making his return to North American hockey after a brief hiatus in Europe. The team also added former Minnesota Wild prospect Jere Sallinen out of the Finnish Liiga to its pro ranks. The remaining crop of players consists of mid- to late-round picks, many of whom are longshots for NHL success. Nevertheless, there are some intriguing standouts, such as in the case of Russian defender Ziyat Paygin who has pleasantly surprised many with his 2015-16 season numbers. Tyler Vesel continues to lead the way as the de facto leader of the NCAA prospect group. See the full breakdown below.

Photo: It has been a lost decade for the Edmonton Oilers and their fans, but Connor McDavid has started writing a new history (courtesy of Curtis Comeau/Icon Sportswire)

The Edmonton Oilers spring Top 20 list sees some major changes from the fall list, mostly due to the graduation of players like Brandon Davidson, Leon Draisaitl and Iiro Pakarinen. Darnell Nurse sits on the cusp of prospect status with regards to number of games played, but is the second name on the list for the time being. Despite his collarbone injury in November, Connor McDavid hasn’t missed a beat in his return and is a prospect in name only. He displays on a consistent basis that he is not only the top prospect in the Oilers system, but on his way to becoming the best player in the NHL.

Photo: Edmonton Oilers prospect Anton Slepyshev brought high-level puck skill to the Oilers’ bottom-six forwards but did not generate much in the way of offense (courtesy of Andy Devlin/NHLI via Getty Images)

After years of disappointing finishes for the Edmonton Oilers, fans can find solace in the fact that the team has amassed a solid pool of prospects throughout their rebuilding years, most specifically over the last season as Peter Chiarelli took the reins as President of Hockey Operations and General Manager. Notably, Edmonton’s depth lies on defense, with the likes of Griffin Reinhart and DarnellNurse (recent prospect graduate Oscar Klefbom continues to find success at the NHL level as well). Read more»

Photo: Management overhaul has changed things in Edmonton but Tyler Pitlick, the 31st overall pick of the 2010 draft, has the skill to take advantage of his opportunities this season (courtesy of Rich Lam/Getty Images)

As the 2015-16 season commences, one cannot help but notice the top-heaviness of the Edmonton Oilers’ prospect talent at the professional level. The team’s new farm club in Bakersfield, California is stacked with noteworthy names like Darnell Nurse, Leon Draisaitl, Tyler Pitlick and more, and the number of legitimate prospects fighting for an opportunity to earn a look at the NHL level is much higher than it has been in recent memory. The fact that the Oilers are now deep enough at the top level to afford to let prospects like the ones mentioned earlier spend some time in the minors developing is a sign of systemic improvement, which bodes well for a club that is trying to establish itself as a legitimate playoff contender after years of poor performance.

Photo: Edmonton Oilers prospect Leon Draisaitl, the third overall pick at the 2014 NHL Draft, was not quite ready for NHL duty with the Oilers but led the Kelowna Rockets to a WHL title (courtesy of Steve Alkok/Icon Sportswire)

Somewhere out there, the NHL Draft Gods are looking out for the Edmonton Oilers. After finishing 28th in the league at the conclusion of the 2014-15 season, Edmonton looked poised to pick up a top defensive prospect such as Noah Hanifin after some lucky franchises claimed generational talents Connor McDavid as the top pick and Jack Eichel as the second. But on April 18th, Bill Daly held aloft an Oilers logo on his placard indicating the team who would select first overall after winning the draft lottery. This is the fourth time in the last six seasons that the Oilers have been awarded the privilege.